A stonemason in the UK who had ordered a container of rocks from India got the surprise of a lifetime when his package came along with one of the deadliest snakes in the world – a saw-scaled viper.
The snake travelled across the high seas and into the UK in a shipping container from India. The stunned stonemason called the authorities as soon as he discovered the deadly, venomous snake among the rocks.
The snake wasn’t active which could have been due to the cold temperatures it may have encountered on its travel from India to the UK. Veterinarians from the South Essex Wildlife Hospital rescued the viper from the container.
One of the rescuers, the founder of a charity told a British news network that the fact that the reptile was not active meant that the people who had opened the container were “very lucky to be alive.”
Her charity said, “We are glad not to have to deal with venomous creatures too often but feel sad for the snake that we can’t give it is freedom and get it back home.”
The deadly viper is now contained in a room with the door taped up with the help of warning signs.
A highly poisonous snake, the saw-scaled viper is native to south Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and is found near inhabited areas.
